DC Election 2026

An independent voter's guide to the October 17, 2026 local elections in Dawson Creek, Pouce Coupe and the Peace River Regional District, B.C.

Danielle Veach

Candidate for Mayor of Pouce Coupe (incumbent). All Pouce Coupe candidates

Danielle Veach

Photo: Village of Pouce Coupe, Mayor & Council page

Running forMayor of Pouce Coupe
StatusIncumbent mayor; elected 2022 (84 votes to Michetti's 79). Councillor from the 2021 by-election[1][2]
OccupationEducational assistant in literacy support, School District 59 (self-reported)[3]
Ties to Pouce CoupeGrew up in the Dawson Creek area; in Pouce Coupe more than a decade (self-reported)[3]
Place of residence (official)Pouce Coupe[4]
Campaign pageRe-elect Danielle Veach (Facebook)

Background

From her Village biography (self-reported): grew up in the Dawson Creek area and has lived in Pouce Coupe for more than a decade; almost seven years on the Pouce Coupe Municipal Public Library board; preschool support at the Child Development Centre from 2011, then an educational assistant in literacy support with School District 59; led a community effort to amend the Village's backyard-hen bylaw in 2020.[3]

Electoral history

Council record

As councillor (October 2021 to October 2022). Moved the motion that "the Mayor does not receive or sit on any portfolios."[7] A judge later found it "was brought to censure and sanction Mayor Michetti" without procedural fairness.[8] Moved the $50,000 library budget cut in April 2022.[9]

As mayor (2022 to 2026). Absent from about 5 of roughly 103 meetings with a recorded attendance list. The mayor moves many routine motions in Pouce Coupe, so her count (about 551) is not comparable with the councillors'.

2026 campaign and platform

Announced July 6 on Facebook (self-reported): "It has been an honour to serve my community, and if given the opportunity, I would love to continue representing the residents of Pouce Coupe and advocating for our future."[26][27]

To Energeticcity.ca, July 20, 2026: "I'm really proud of the work that my council and I have done towards the infrastructure planning, replacement and repair... I've definitely found a passion for infrastructure that I didn't know I had, particularly water and sewer." Water and sewer will "probably" be her largest focus.[28]

Promises and delivery

From her July 2022 mayoral announcement in the Dawson Creek Mirror, where she named "fire hall and department improvements, sewage lagoon, road improvements throughout the village, and repairing the image of Pouce Coupe."[5]

Other work during her term: the Village Office Park playground beside the Village Office, planned in two phases. Phase 1 opened August 26, 2026 at $250,629, paid for by the province's Growing Communities Fund transfer the Village already held ($176,129), Northern Development Initiative Trust ($30,000), the Regional District's Area D ($20,000), Pembina ($10,000), Enbridge ($10,000) and the Northeast B.C. Community Foundation ($4,500).[29] Veach has the strongest documented role: she moved the October 2024 resolution that the park be paid for only by grants and donations, a 2025 grant application, the January 2026 NDIT resolution and the surfacing contract.[30][31][32][33] Wall moved the first NDIT application and the Phase 1 go-ahead; Rabel voted against both 2025 grant applications.[31][34] Phase 2 is not funded.[35]

What they promisedWhenWhat happenedVerdict
The sewage lagoon: "real fixes" instead of "band aids solutions."July 2022[5]The lagoon bank stabilization was finished in October 2025 and fully paid for by $3,005,440 in provincial disaster-risk grants: $2.33M announced in March 2024, plus a $673,716 top-up.[36][37] Veach moved the December 2023 engineering pre-approval (3-2, Wall and Rabel opposed) and the November 2024 acceptance of the top-up, and CJDC-TV credits her and council with lobbying for it at UBCM.[38][39][22] The October 2023 grant application itself was moved by Wall and seconded by Woodill.[40] Shared council action.Delivered
Fire hall and department improvements.July 2022[5]The Regional District approved $250,000 for a fire hall expansion in October 2025.[41] In July 2026 Veach moved endorsing the expansion option; council approved a design request for proposals in August 2026. Nothing is built yet.[42][43] She voted against the April 2024 fire command-truck purchase, which carried 3-2; the minutes do not say why.[16]In progress
Road improvements throughout the village.July 2022[5]About $220,000 went to paving and culverts in 2024.[44] In July 2026 Veach moved adding $525,000 for Elevator Road paving, and the $491,968 contract was awarded in August 2026. The 51st Street repair was deferred to 2027.[42][45]Partly delivered
"Repairing the image of Pouce Coupe" with neighbours, First Nations and the province.July 2022[5]No way to measure it. She attended a community-to-community meeting with Doig River First Nation in 2024,[44] and in 2026 moved a resolution asking the province for a "transparency framework" for Indigenous title negotiations.[23]No record found

What the record shows

Facts. Delivered the grant-funded sewage lagoon stabilization and started the water and sewer master plan. Near-perfect attendance. Led the three-member majority that passed 10, 7 and 5 percent tax increases over Rabel's and Wall's objections. Takes a law-and-order and property-rights line on regional issues while supporting North Winds. Her 2021 portfolio motion against Michetti was ruled procedurally unfair.

Our reading (inference, not fact). She will run on infrastructure competence. Her exposure is the tax record, a low public profile on the budget, and two councillors who have repeatedly recorded process complaints. A three-way race makes the outcome hard to call.

Questions worth asking. What tax path follows the master plan? What is her plan for the Dawson Creek water contract if Dawson Creek builds a new supply line? How will the Village handle records requests and legal costs?

Sources cited on this page

  1. Energeticcity.ca, Oct 16, 2022, "Danielle Veach elected mayor of Pouce Coupe". energeticcity.ca/2022/10/16/danielle-veach-elected-mayor-of-pouce-coupe/
  2. Energeticcity.ca, Sept 18, 2021, "Pouce Coupe official by-election results released". energeticcity.ca/2021/09/18/pouce-coupe-official-by-election-results-re…
  3. Village of Pouce Coupe, Mayor & Council page (official biographies). poucecoupe.ca/government/administration/mayor-council/
  4. Village of Pouce Coupe, Notice of Election by Voting, Notice No. 10-1 (Sept 23, 2026). poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/52236/
  5. Dawson Creek Mirror, July 1, 2022, "Incumbent Pouce Coupe councillor announces mayoral run" (Wayback Machine). web.archive.org/web/20220813032203/https://www.dawsoncreekmirror.ca/reg…
  6. B.C. Court of Appeal, Michetti v. Veach, 2023 BCCA 317. bccourts.ca/jdb-txt/ca/23/03/2023BCCA0317.htm
  7. Village council minutes, Oct 6, 2021 (mayor's portfolios removed). poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/32002/
  8. Energeticcity.ca, Mar 23, 2022, "Portfolio positions again return to Pouce Coupe mayor following court order". energeticcity.ca/2022/03/23/portfolio-positions-again-return-to-pouce-c…
  9. Village council minutes, Apr 25, 2022 (library budget cut). poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/34546/
  10. Village council minutes, Apr 3, 2024 (10 percent tax increase). poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/42654/
  11. Village council minutes, Apr 9, 2025 (2025-2029 financial plan, first reading). poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/47223/
  12. Village council minutes, Jan 14, 2026 (2026 plan Scenario A; firearms letter). poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/49235/
  13. Village agenda package with draft minutes, May 2026 (2026 tax rates bylaw). poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/49827/
  14. CJDC-TV, Apr 24, 2024, "'It's a joke': former Pouce Coupe mayor weighs in on potential tax hike and loss of library services" (Wayback Machine). web.archive.org/web/2024/https://www.cjdctv.com/it-a-joke-former-pouce-…
  15. Village council minutes, May 3, 2023 (code of conduct tabled). poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/39230/
  16. Village council minutes, Apr 17, 2024 (fire command truck; food policy). poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/42678/
  17. Village council minutes, July 2023 (interim CAO appointment). poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/39519/
  18. Village council minutes, Feb 2023 (motion and points of order). poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/37910/
  19. Village council minutes, Mar 27, 2023 (2023 tax increase; minutes amended). poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/38326/
  20. Village council minutes, Apr 19, 2023 (NCLGA lost wages). poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/38544/
  21. CJDC-TV, Mar 5, 2024, "Mayor of Pouce Coupe calling for action from province to deal with the ripple effect of crime in Peace Region" (Wayback Machine). web.archive.org/web/2024/https://www.cjdctv.com/mayor-of-pouce-coupe-ca…
  22. CJDC-TV, Nov 7, 2024, "Pouce Coupe receives a total of $3 million in funding to help with lagoon repair costs" (Wayback Machine). web.archive.org/web/20241108030918/https://www.cjdctv.com/pouce-coupe-r…
  23. Energeticcity.ca, Mar 24, 2026, "Pouce Coupe council calls on province to protect private property". energeticcity.ca/2026/03/24/pouce-coupe-council-calls-on-province-to-pr…
  24. Energeticcity.ca, June 29, 2026, "Village of Pouce Coupe gets opinions from PRRD members about moving to Alberta time". energeticcity.ca/2026/06/29/village-of-pouce-coupe-gets-opinions-from-p…
  25. CJDC-TV, June 2026, "Former mayor questions Pouce Coupe over FOI costs as village cites strain on small staff". cjdctv.com/news/article/former-mayor-questions-pouce-coupe-over-foi-cos…
  26. Re-elect Danielle Veach for Mayor of Pouce Coupe, BC (Facebook post). facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid0v7mt8jr36U8t9K5zoDpDD1xVR2b…
  27. Energeticcity.ca, Sept 4, 2026, "2026 B.C. general election nomination period week one wrap-up". energeticcity.ca/2026/09/04/2026-b-c-general-election-nomination-period…
  28. Energeticcity.ca, July 20, 2026, "Former mayor and current mayor of Pouce Coupe seek re-election". energeticcity.ca/2026/07/20/former-mayor-and-current-mayor-of-pouce-cou…
  29. Energeticcity.ca, Aug 27, 2026, "Pouce Coupe Village Office park improvements include improved accessibility". energeticcity.ca/2026/08/27/pouce-coupe-village-office-park-improvement…
  30. Village of Pouce Coupe agenda package with draft Oct 16, 2024 minutes (park to be grant-funded) (civicweb document 45758). poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/45758/
  31. Village of Pouce Coupe council minutes, Aug 27, 2025 (park grant applications) (civicweb document 47254). poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/47254/
  32. Village of Pouce Coupe council minutes, Jan 28, 2026 (NDIT playground resolution; fire hall study) (civicweb document 49236). poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/49236/
  33. Village of Pouce Coupe council minutes, Mar 25, 2026 (playground surfacing contract) (civicweb document 49240). poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/49240/
  34. Village of Pouce Coupe council minutes, Feb 25, 2026 (playground Phase 1 decision) (civicweb document 49238). poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/49238/
  35. Village agenda package, Sept 9, 2026 (park Phase 2). poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/52234/
  36. Energeticcity.ca, Oct 23, 2025, "Pouce Coupe completes lagoon bank stabilization project". energeticcity.ca/2025/10/23/pouce-coupe-completes-lagoon-bank-stabiliza…
  37. B.C. government news release, Mar 21, 2024, Community Emergency Preparedness Fund disaster risk reduction grants. news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024EMCR0017-000401
  38. Village of Pouce Coupe council minutes, Dec 6, 2023 (lagoon engineering pre-approval) (civicweb document 41269). poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/41269/
  39. Village of Pouce Coupe agenda package with draft Nov 6, 2024 minutes (lagoon grant uplift accepted) (civicweb document 45992). poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/45992/
  40. Village of Pouce Coupe council minutes, Oct 4, 2023 (Community Emergency Preparedness Fund application) (civicweb document 40323). poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/40323/
  41. Energeticcity.ca, Oct 6, 2025, "PRRD approves $250K for Pouce Coupe fire hall expansion". energeticcity.ca/2025/10/06/prrd-approves-250k-for-pouce-coupe-fire-hal…
  42. Village of Pouce Coupe agenda package with draft July 15, 2026 minutes (fire hall option; road paving) (civicweb document 50860). poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/50860/
  43. Village of Pouce Coupe agenda package with draft Aug 26, 2026 minutes (fire hall design RFP) (civicweb document 51924). poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/51924/
  44. Village of Pouce Coupe agenda package with draft Oct 2, 2024 minutes (park; capital plan; UBCM reports) (civicweb document 45551). poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/45551/
  45. Village of Pouce Coupe agenda package with draft Aug 12, 2026 minutes (Elevator Road contract) (civicweb document 51553). poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/51553/
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